Summery Blueberry Pie

One of the best things about summer is the fresh produce that reaches its peak during the hot season, especially blueberries. Aside from eating them by the handful, enjoying them in a pie is another amazing way to reap the huge benefits of this little berry.

Blueberries are considered a superfood that is said to neutralize free radicals, promote heart health, improve vision and protect against degenerative brain disease. Additionally, they are high in vitamin A and C, both of which are necessary to support your skin’s structure. Eating foods rich in these nutrients might also slow signs of aging, such as wrinkles, and dark circles.

Talk about a dessert that’s well worth eating!

This blueberry pie is summery, full of naturalsweetness with just a hint of tartness, extremely easy to make and seriously delicious.

Happy baking!

Ingredients

Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup vegan margarine, frozen and cut into pea-sized chunks

5 Tbsp chilled orange juice

Pinch of salt

1 Tbsp coconut oil, for brushing

Pie Filling

4 cups organic frozen blueberries

3/4 cup organic vegan sweetener, such as Sucanat

Zest of one lemon

1 tsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp tapioca flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 460 degrees F. Cover the pie pan with a thin layer of coconut oil (or any neutral oil) and line the bottom of your pie pan with parchment paper to avoid any sticking.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.

Add the frozen margarine.

Begin to mix in the chilled OJ, one tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to form. You don’t have to use all of the orange juice if it’s not necessary — the dough should just hold together. Be sure not to overwork the dough to prevent it from getting tough.

Once it’s in a ball, wrap plastic wrap around it, flatten slightly and put in the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes.

Remove dough from freezer and cut in half. On a floured board, roll out one half of the pastry into a circle, working your way from the center to the edges, outwardly. You want to be sure that the pastry is rolled evenly and as thin as you can get it without it sticking to your board. I like to place my pie dish over the center of the pastry and flip it over so the pastry falls onto the dish, then remove the edges and place back into the freezer until the filling is ready.

To make the filling, mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes, allowing the blueberries to defrost just a bit.

Add filling mixture to your pie crust.

Roll the other half of the pastry and lattice the top of the pie. Lightly brush the top with coconut oil, and sprinkle some Sucanat on top of the pastry. Cover the edges with foil to avoid the crust burning. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The pie should be a nice light brown when finished.

Serve warm and enjoy 🙂

For this recipe, we recommend using organic frozen blueberries. Organic blueberries have higher nutritional content than conventional berries, plus frozen blueberries have an increase in anthocyanin levels compared to non-frozen berries.